The Pancakes

The Pancakes is a Hong Kong–based one-girl band consisting of independent singer-songwriter Dejay Choi. The music of the Pancakes is characterised by Dejay's very innocent, almost childlike voice with bright and catchy melodies. Most of the Pancakes' songs have English lyrics, unlike the majority of Hong Kong pop music, where Cantonese is the norm.

History

Dejay Choi, the sole member of the band, graduated from the University of Hong Kong majoring in translation. She worked in the library of the Goethe-Institut Hong Kong (the German cultural centre in Hong Kong) prior taking up the profession as a singer-songwriter. Choi participated in several independent bands before founding the Pancakes, such as the Postcard (in 1996, a three-member band), Ginger Biscuits (in 1997, a solo act) and Tricycle Rider (in 1999, also with three members).

Her real Chinese name is unknown to the public, although appears as 蔡明麗 (coi3 ming4 lai6 in Jyutping) on her 2011 Cantonese album 腦殘遊記.^[1]

Choi handles almost everything by herself in the production of her albums, from musical composition, lyrics writing, instruments performance, singing, recording to production, etc. Dejay plays the guitar and keyboard. Furthermore, Dejay has also founded her own record label, Rewind Records, which handles the management and promotion for the Pancakes.

Her song, gum gum gum (Chinese: 咁咁咁, literally "like this, like this, like this"), written for the film McDull, Prince de la Bun won "Best Original Film Song"^[2]at the 24th Hong Kong Film Awards.^[3]

Discography

Albums

• Les Bonbons Sont Bons (January 2000).
• Pancakes can panick (August 2000).
• All already ready (May 2002).
• Stereo Radio/ Left (February 2003).
• Stereo Radio/ Right (August 2003).
• Everyone has a Secret (September 2005).
• 1,2,3,4,5,6, cheese! (October 2007).
• Sometimes I just can't remember all the things we did together (June 2010).
• 腦殘遊記 (July 2011).
• sometimes when we cry (December 2013).

Single

• Demo Demo No.1 (March 2000)

Collaborated album

• ok karaoke (with alok July 2001)
• freeplay (with Chet Lam and ketchup (March 2004)

Album released under Elefant Records

• Captain Curtain (March 2001)
• Flying in the blue sky on a frying pan (November 2001)

Popsical composition for advertisements

Hong Kong

• Kowloon Motor Bus, July 2000, a (from the album les bonbons sont bons)
• HSBC Hong Kong credit card, December 2000, patronage (from the album pancakes can panick).
• San Miguel Beer Division, April 2001, wala wala (from album les bonbons sont bons) and 11 unreleased songs.
• China Light and Power, July 2001, the pancakes and the music'.
• Qoo soft drink, August 2002, the Qoo song.
• Hong Kong Leisure and Cultural Services Department, July 2006, incidental music for public pools advertisement.
• Hong Kong Arts Centre, theme song for the 14th Hong Kong Independent Short Film & Video Awards, September 2008, 大踏步 (from album 1,2,3,4,5,6, cheese!)

Europe

• Kia Motors Motors, 2007, tell me the truth before one of us dies ( from the album stereo radio/right) were used on the advertisement "cee'd sporty wagon Spot". View the advertisements here.

Film

As director

• Looking for true love, (September 2004) – as director, producer and screen script writer.

As voice actor

• My life as McDull, (2001) – voice-acting for school teacher Ms Chan.
• McDull, Prince de la Bun, (2004) – ut supra.
• McDull, The Alumni, (2006) – ut supra.

As composer

• Triumph in the Skies (2015)

Publication

• 班門弄戟 (Cantonese：Baan Mun Nung Gig; Pinyin: bān mén nòng jǐ), Chinese proses collection, published by Kubrick in July 2005. ISBN 988-97905-3-X

See also

• Hong Kong English pop

External links

• The Pancakes' official website
• Elefant Records
• The Pancakes discography at MusicBrainz

Notes